At 45, Guatemala golf amateur Alejandro Villavicencio’s passion keeps him going

SINGAPORE – Hours before his round at the World Amateur Team Championships (WATC) teed off at 12.25pm, Alejandro Villavicencio was already up at 5am and working on his laptop to manage business matters in Guatemala.

While in Singapore this week for the prestigious tournament, the 45-year-old, who runs a telecommunications company and a restaurant back home, has been juggling work off course.

The 14-hour time difference makes things challenging, but this is life for Villavicencio, for whom golf remains more than just a hobby.

The oldest player in a field comprising mainly golfers in their teens and 20s this week, he is over three decades older than the youngest golfer, 14-year-old Munesu Tadiswa Chimhini from Zimbabwe.

In his first round at the Tanah Merah Country Club’s Tampines Course, his age was more than double that of his flightmates Cooper Moore (New Zealand) and Hugo le Goff (France), who are both 17.

Reflecting on competing in his eighth WATC, he said: “It’s a blessing to be able to keep competing at this age and be able to qualify with all the young guys who are still playing in Guatemala.

“We have a very good level. A lot of guys are still playing college golf, so I’m 45 and I’m just trying to keep up with them and enjoy golf.”

The world No. 72 amateur sits tied-67th in the individual standings after shooting a three-over 75 in the opening round on Oct 8, with Guatemala joint-20th at two-over 146 in the race for the men’s Eisenhower Trophy.

Mexico leads with a seven-under 137 total, followed by South Africa (139) and France (140).

Singapore are a stroke back in fourth, led by Hiroshi Tai’s impressive seven-under 65, which puts him at the top of the individual leaderboard.

Brayden Lee had a four-over 76, while Troy Storm’s 84 was not counted in the team score.

Villavicencio, who was introduced to golf by his father and uncle, had tried his hand at professional golf nearly two decades ago.

He played on the South American Tour and a mini-tour in Mexico, winning once in Colombia.

Then, in 2006, he made it to the final stage of the European Tour Qualifying School, earning partial status on the European Challenge Tour – the second-tier men’s professional golf tour in Europe – for 2007.

From 2007 to 2009, he played 23 events, making the cut in 10, while earning €10,917.91 (S$16,500) across the three years, before deciding to pursue a career elsewhere.

However, his passion for golf remained and he started competing again after regaining his amateur status in 2010.

He said: “I just love golf. I’ve enjoyed it all my life. I just enjoy competing.

“There are a lot of great tournaments in the world and I try to do my best to qualify for the ones that I can and go meet new people, know new places, new golf courses, and it has helped me travel all over the world and I still have that fire to compete.”

Villavicencio has had to adapt his training as he gets older. After three operations on his right wrist and an elbow injury, he can no longer play as much as he once did, but he is still committed to the game.

Once a week, he attends national training sessions, and he tries to play nine holes when he takes his 11-year-old son for golf lessons, while also trying to get in playing opportunities over the weekend.

Apart from his love for golf, he wants to show that age is just a number and that this is a game that can be appreciated by anybody.

He is also driven by the desire to continue developing the golf scene in Guatemala.

With only six golf courses and about 2,000 to 3,000 golfers in the Central American country, golf is still a niche sport, but Villavicencio noted that the number of youth players has risen over the years.

He said: “My main goal is to keep competing for as long as I can and keep the level in Guatemala high enough so that the younger generation can be even better and better.”